I Really Didn't Mean to Make Money

Mid-April, 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Mingri Group,

Cangxue Games, Conference Room.

Wei Yan sat at the head of the conference table, slowly flipping through the two game proposals in his hands.

It had been over two weeks since the last meeting, when he had split the project team into two groups to develop separate game concepts. Now, both teams had finally completed their proposals.

He had skimmed through both documents. Each was well-developed and comprehensive.

After a moment’s thought, he picked up one of the proposals.

“Lu Ren, let’s start with yours.”

“Yes, Manager Wei.”

Lu Ren quickly stood up, accompanied by another colleague, and the two walked to the front of the room.

He plugged in a USB drive, and a PowerPoint presentation appeared on the screen.

Lu Ren began explaining his game concept, while his teammate assisted from the side.

“First, our game builds on the traditional turn-based model, but we’ve introduced some innovations.”

“Number one: character skills. We’ve added new abilities to the card-based characters. For example, some characters can both attack and heal. Depending on the battlefield situation, players can choose which skill to activate.”

“Number two: player freedom. We’ve increased the level of control players have, giving them more flexibility in gameplay. At the same time, we’ve kept the auto-battle feature for casual players.”

“However, in battles between teams of equal strength, auto-battle is much more likely to lose to manual control.”

“…”

Lu Ren continued presenting his game plan in detail.

Wei Yan nodded slowly as he listened. He’d been playing a lot of turn-based games lately, and compared to those, Lu Ren’s proposal did offer some fresh ideas.

Still, when it came to freedom of gameplay, it felt a bit lacking. Even with more skills added, the core gameplay still revolved around characters taking turns attacking each other.

But that was the nature of turn-based games, after all. It wasn’t necessarily a flaw.

After a while, the presentation reached its final slide. The proposal was complete.

The room erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Once the clapping died down, Wei Yan turned his gaze to Xu Yuan.

“Your turn.”

“Yes, Manager Wei.”

Xu Yuan nodded, stood up, and walked to the front, accompanied by another colleague.

Soon, a new PowerPoint appeared on the screen.

Xu Yuan looked around the room, took a deep breath, and picked up the microphone.

“First, we’ve given our game a name: 【War of Freedom】. We’re defining it as a 3D Strategy Battle Game.”

“The name itself highlights the core aspects of our game: freedom and combat.”

“Let’s talk about freedom first. We’ve broken away from the traditional turn-based format. Instead of a 2D 5v5 setup, we’ve transformed it into a fully 3D 5v5 game. Rather than preset formations, players will control their characters in real time using keyboard and mouse, just like in an online game.”

“Since players need to manually control their characters, it’s difficult for one person to handle multiple units. So we’ve designed it so that each player controls only one character, making each match a 5v5 team battle.”

“…”

Xu Yuan went on to explain the changes in detail. Then he clicked to the next slide, and a map appeared on the screen.

“Now let’s talk about gameplay.”

“Since this is a 5v5 battle game, the battlefield can’t be as large as those in typical MMOs. If the map is too big, a single match could take forever. So we need a map that’s just the right size—not too big, not too small.”

“Of course, the exact dimensions will need to be determined through testing.”

“But after some discussion, we’ve already designed a prototype map, which is what you’re seeing on the screen now.”

Xu Yuan paused briefly to let everyone take a good look at the map, then continued.

“In a 5v5 battle, having all five players fighting together from the start would be chaotic and lack strategic depth. So, we’ve divided the map into three lanes.”

“We’re calling them top, mid, and bottom. Our default setup assigns one player to the mid lane, and two each to the top and bottom lanes. Of course, this isn’t fixed—players can choose their own lane assignments based on strategy.”

“But the default distribution is more balanced, especially when it comes to resource allocation.”

“There are four main ways to gain resources in the game.”

“First is passive income. As the match progresses, players will automatically gain a fixed amount of gold and experience over time.”

“Second, we’ve added minions. These minions spawn periodically from each team’s base and march down the three lanes. Players can earn gold and experience by killing enemy minions.”

“Third, jungle monsters. Since there are gaps between the lanes, we’ve placed neutral monsters in those areas. After clearing the minions in their lane, players can head into the jungle to kill these monsters for additional gold and experience.”

“We’re also considering adding powerful jungle bosses. Defeating them could grant significant rewards or buffs.”

“Of course, those details will need further discussion and testing before we finalize anything.”

“The fourth and simplest way to earn resources is by killing enemy players.”

Xu Yuan spoke slowly, his tone calm and measured. Everything he was sharing had been developed through countless discussions with his team. To make this game as perfect as possible, they often stayed after work, gathering together to study and refine their ideas.

The meeting room was utterly silent. Everyone was listening intently, completely absorbed in Xu Yuan’s explanation. It was as if they had all been drawn into the world of the game he was describing.

They couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like once this game was fully developed.

“Next, let me talk about resources. Experience points, as the name suggests, are used to level up characters. In this game, all characters start at level 1 when they enter, so experience is essential for progression.”

“As for gold coins, their function is straightforward. In the game’s base area, we’ve set up a marketplace. It offers a wide variety of equipment and weapons—defensive gear, offensive weapons, support items, and so on. Players can purchase gear that suits their character’s needs.”

“However, there’s a specific mechanic in the game: both the equipment a player can wear and the maximum level they can reach are subject to restrictions. The exact thresholds for these limits still need further research and testing.”

————

Xu Yuan’s “War of Freedom” — is clearly referencing the real-world game League of Legends (LoL) by Riot Games.